Men’s sex organ is the penis, through which the male body discharges semen for reproduction. It is also the organ through which the body ejects urine as waste.

A penis becomes erect when a man becomes aroused sexually. Nerves compel blood to rush into the penis, particularly to a columnar tissue called the corpus cavernosum. Only then would the penis “harden” or undergo an erection.

Blood also fills up the corpus spongiosum, a spongy tissue in the penis which encompasses the urethra, the passageway for urine. Filled with blood, the corpus spongiosum keeps the urethra open even as the penis stays erect.

A man may choose to circumcise his penis. In circumcision, a surgeon removes the foreskin (prepuce) covering the penis’ head (glans). The foreskin protects the mucosa, a layer of moist tissue swathing the glans. Without it, the mucosa desiccates.

Penis diseases and conditions

Not all men are able to sustain an erection. For some reason, many men suffer from erectile dysfunction, wherein the penis could not harden enough to carry out copulation. An oft-cited cause for this condition is atherosclerosis or artery damage.

Conversely, men may suffer from priapism. This occurs when a man finds himself still “hard” hours after sexual stimulation has ended.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have as many ramifications on the penis as these conditions. Notable examples of STIs (a.k.a. sexually transmitted diseases or STDs) include gonorrhea, the result of contracting the bacterium N. gonorrhea, and chlamydia, caused by contracting its namesake bacterium. The former causes penis discharges, while the other is notorious for being symptomless. Either way, both can cause urethritis or inflammation of the urethra. Yet another bacterium, syphilis, causes a namesake condition, which starts out as painless chancres or ulcers on the penis.

Viruses, on the other hand, cause herpes, a condition wherein tiny ulcers and blisters develop on the penis from time to time. Meanwhile, the human papillomavirus (HPV) can cause highly infectious warts to grow on the penis.

A penis can become inflamed due to infections other than STIs, causing balanitis or the inflammation of the glans. Among uncircumcised men, balanitis may affect the prepuce, a condition called balanoposthitis.

Circumcision, in this view, may have benefits. Many doctors claim circumcision reduces the likelihood of developing penis cancer, otherwise a very rare condition. By default, circumcision also fends off phimosis, wherein an infection keeps the foreskin from being drawn back.

There are congenital defects of the penis. For instance, there’s hypospadias, a defect wherein the hole whence urine comes out is located elsewhere than the penis tip. Chordee is another congenital condition, described as an abnormal curvature of the penis. Micropenis or an abnormally small penis is also a penis birth defect. Surgery may rectify these conditions.

An injured penis may give rise to Peyronie’s Disease, an abnormal curvature of the penis shaft.

Treating penis conditions

Viagra or sildenafil has been praised – for better or worse by many healthy lifestyle followers – as a cure-all for erectile dysfunctions. These drugs are essentially phosphodiesterase inhibitors, which force blood to flow more into the penis, boosting an erection.

STI treatment depends on the infection in question. For infections caused by bacteria, e.g. gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis, antibiotics are in order. On the other hand, antiviral medicines are almost always recommended to manage, if not cure, herpes and other viral infections.

Penis surgery can treat hypospadias. It is also required to treat cancer of the penis.

Tests for penis conditions

Nocturnal penis tumescence tests are designed to weed out the cause of an erectile dysfunction. Better known as an erection test, this test is done by wearing an elastic device around the penis to detect its hardness during sleep.

Urinalysis is the basic urine test used to spot chemicals associated with penis infections and bleeding. A more complicated urine test, called polymerase chain reaction, can detect gonorrhea, chlamydia, and other STI vectors.

In some cases, the doctor may call for a urethral swab, wherein he or she takes a swab of the penis’ insides. The swab is then submitted for lab culture, in order to detect urinary tract infections, urethritis, and other conditions.

Healthy Lifestyle is in business as an affiliate marketer and recommend products on this website for which we earn a commission: We hope this disclosure will demonstrate our intent to run an honest and reputable business. For more info, visit the Consumer Education Portal